The Virtual Memories Show
A weekly conversation about books, art, comics and culture -- not necessarily in that order. Hosted by Gil Roth
info_outline
Episode 614 - Caitlin McGurk
11/26/2024
Episode 614 - Caitlin McGurk
Comics librarian and curator returns to the show to celebrate her amazing new book, (Fantagraphics). We talk about Caitlin's shock at her 2012 discovery of Barbara Shermund's incredible gag-comics and illustrations in the archive of the , how her interest in Barbara evolved from blog posts to a museum exhibit to a book, the challenge of writing about someone who did no interviews or press and had no close relatives, and how easily women get erased from history. We get into the gestalt of Barbara's fantastic linework and washes and her wry sense of humor, why Caitlin wound up writing an academic press version of the book before rewriting it for a trade publisher, the challenges & rewards of designing a book to showcase so much art, how Barbara helped create the look of The New Yorker in its early years, why Caitlin speculated (but not too much) about Barbara's sexuality. We also discuss the malleability of history, how the Billy Ireland has changed in the , the pep talk she wished she could have gotten from our late friend , time Al Capp (!!) advocated for allowing women into the National Cartoonists Society, the incredible story of tracking down Barbara's remains and giving her a proper funeral 35 years after her death, and a lot more. Follow Caitlin on and the • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/34166495
info_outline
Episode 613 - Frances Jetter
11/19/2024
Episode 613 - Frances Jetter
Artist joins the show to talk about her amazing new book, (Fantagraphics Underground). We talk about how the book both expanded and narrowed in scope during its 12-year process, how her grandfather's story bleeds out into American, Jewish and labor history, and how she integrated her trademark linocut prints with other media to create an unforgettable graphic narrative. We get into how the editorial illustration field changed over her career and why she moved toward artist's books and narrative art, why "illustrator" isn't a dirty word & why having her work out in the world is important, how we don't always see the resonances of our work when we're in the middle of it, how working with other materials and forms (like sculpture) rejuvenated her drawing, what she learned about storytelling in the making of AMALGAM, her family's political background and her awakening, how students have changed over her 40+ years teaching at SVA, and more. Follow Frances on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33998162
info_outline
Episode 612 - Roland Allen
11/12/2024
Episode 612 - Roland Allen
With (Biblioasis), explores how the proliferation of paper & binding changed culture, business, and maybe the nature of human consciousness. We talk about how keeping a diary got him obsessed-ish with notebooks, how he found a narrative and protagonists as he delved into the history of notebooks, and what it means to see the notebook as a piece of technology/hardware. We get into their influence on art and the Renaissance (and the theory that sketchbooks allowed artists to move toward realism), how diaries created a new, private persona distinct from the public self, how he discovered a new reading for a line of , and how digital options never manage to replace the paper notebook. We also discuss how Moleskine came to dominate the notebook market and how Bruce Chatwin's jumpstarted their craze, how Roland learned to switch off the "this isn't interesting" filter in his own diaries, how writing this book made him a better notebooker, the way Dutch album amicorum (friendship books) served as a social media precursor, how our notebooks can outlive us (and his posthumous plans for his diaries), and a lot more. Follow Roland on and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33897197
info_outline
Episode 611 - Eric Drooker
11/05/2024
Episode 611 - Eric Drooker
With his new graphic novel, (Dark Horse Books), artist/activist finishes the New York trilogy begun in and . We talk about how Naked City started with the image of a beleaguered squeegee-man and wound up a love letter to New York and especially Tompkins Square Park, the challenges of using word/thought balloons and captions after making wordless comics for so long, and the importance of staying handmade in the digital era. We get into his upbringing in Stuy Town and the Lower East Side/Loisaida, why we were recording in an apartment above the , how New York changed during his life, why he semi sorta escaped from the city, what it's like being a quality-of-life criminal, and the time he made his start with stencil-graffiti only to get over-tagged by Basquiat. We also discuss his artistic & political awakenings, the Tompkins Square Park riot and police militarization, his ambivalence about street art going into the gallery, the importance of on-the-ground activism (), the surveillance panopticon, and more. Follow Eric on , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33793902
info_outline
Episode 610 - Simon Critchley
10/30/2024
Episode 610 - Simon Critchley
With his fantastic new book, (NYRB), philosopher explores mystic traditions from medieval Christianity to the present. We talk about the evolving definition of mysticism, its female-centric history, how it's not just the moment of revelation but the adoption of a form practice (like Julian of Norwich's half-day of revelations and ~40 years of theological examination of them), and whether today's aesthetic experiences can truly be a substitute for the religious transcendence of the past. We get into attention as a form of mysticism and close reading as a form of attention, how we can try to overcome this age of distraction upon distraction, what it means to de-create our creaturely self and 'get out of our own way', how philosophy treated religion as bonkers, and why he's drawn to the weirdness of Christianity. We also discuss how he's made a publishing career out of death, how we each faced our theoretical deaths and found liberation in their wake, , how Brian Eno's concept of a is hard to create virtually, how his life and his teaching have changed since the pandemic began, The Time He Got To Meet Nick Cave (grr!), and a lot more. Follow Simon on and , and follow Critchley And Simmons on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33682502
info_outline
Episode 609 - Doug Brod
10/22/2024
Episode 609 - Doug Brod
Hail Satan! It's spooky season, and writer/editor Doug Brod joins the show to celebrate his fantastic new biography, (Hachette). We talk about the line between huckster and believer, the history of the , why Doug didn't want to puncture the mythology LaVey built around his life, and the fun of writing a chapter about Sammy Davis Jr. exploring Satanism. We also get into how LaVey's philosophy of self-deification and aesthetics managed to penetrate American culture, how Doug balanced reporting & cultural history for the book, the people he wishes he could've interviewed, how LaVey reveled in spreading his gospel to the post-punk/'zine generation in the '90s, what it takes to create one's own aesthetic world while still going out to Olive Garden, Doug's , and what it means to consider Satan as metaphor rather than incarnated being, and more. Follow Doug on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33577007
info_outline
Episode 608 - Sven Birkerts
10/15/2024
Episode 608 - Sven Birkerts
Author & essayist returns to the show to celebrate his fantastic new essay collection, (Arrowsmith Press). We talk about the estrangement of the everyday, the problem of other minds, how serendipity tells us something about where we are, authors' photos and self-mythologizing, moving house (& turning 70) during COVID, and the inspiration of Cortazar's . We get into the threat of AI to writing, reading, and thinking, opening up to ambivalence, why people find it so tough to say the word "soul", what he misses about teaching, Kierkegaard & Walker Percy's & being on The Search, and wondering what Bob Dylan is like in the kitchen in the morning. We also discuss writers' homes & graves and the myth of inspiration, his new Sketches From Memory essays and how they've opened him up as a writer, how we build circles of affinity, how his father's career as an architect influenced his eye (but not his writing), why people find it so tough to say the word "soul", and more. Follow Sven on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33476387
info_outline
Episode 607 - Christopher Brown
10/01/2024
Episode 607 - Christopher Brown
With his phenomenal new book, (Timber Press), shifts from novels into nature-writing/memoir/nonfiction mode and I am HERE for it. We talk about the eco-cosmos of East Austin, TX, the years of observation that opened him to the hidden pockets of wildness in urban environments, why solitude in nature is a myth, what we have to gain from taking a long walk, Long Time vs. the short presence of Anglos in Texas, how 2020's lockdown turned off global capitalism and showed how society might truly change, and how this book mutated from . We get into Bruce Sterling's unforgettable critique of his writing, the process of turning a narrative of colonization into one of decolonization, (eco)psychogeography & the Situationists, why he (begrudgingly) brought the personal/memoiristic into the book and how it helped him come to terms with himself, and what a workshop with horror writers taught him about the truth-telling power of non-redemptive storytelling. We also discuss the design flaws of the agricultural revolution, how his readers in different regions respond to his , the nature of mysticism and writing a narrative about transcending the self, hiking a Massachusetts marsh in summer with , and plenty more. Follow Christopher on , and , and subscribe to his • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33285372
info_outline
Episode 606 - Dmitry Samarov
09/23/2024
Episode 606 - Dmitry Samarov
Artist returns to the show to bail me out after a stressful couple of weeks and to explore his fantastic new book, , a survey of his art from the '80s to today. We talk about the process of selecting pieces for the book, what artistic legacy means to him, finding roots of his work in his childhood, and why the notion of 'progression' doesn't apply to his work. We get into the transformative experience of working at and how it's inspiring his new , why he's culling a lot of his library and how he's deciding which books to keep, how his bookshelf paintings started to open him to abstraction, and why literary folks like Magritte but painters don't. We also discuss our monastic devotion to art and Antonio López García's devotion to , why artistic memoirs tend to be no good but why not-great artists can be good critics, what it means to see his own books in thrift stores, how moving some furniture can change one's perspective, why he's against starting art with An Idea, and a lot more. Follow Dmitry through and his podcasts, and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33178927
info_outline
Episode 605 - Stephen B Shepard
09/17/2024
Episode 605 - Stephen B Shepard
With (Post Hill Press), author and retired journalist/editor explores the life of JD Salinger and the hidden core of an author who became famous for avoiding fame. We get into why Stephen decided to chase this elusive ghost, why Salinger didn't make it into , whether he believes Salinger's unpublished writing will see the light of day, and why it was important that he approach the book as biography and not literary criticism (although he does bring a reader's voice to the book). We talk about the lack of sex in Salinger's fiction, the uncanniness of Holden Caulfield's voice, Salinger's WWII trauma, his rise to fame, search for privacy, abandonment of publishing, embrace of Vedanta & ego-death, and his pattern of pursuing young women, and how it all maybe ties together. We also discuss Stephen's career as a journalist and how it influences his writing, what he learned in building a , the ways we both started out in business-to-business magazines (he went a lot farther than I did, editing Newsweek and Business Week), how journalism has changed over the course of his career, and what it means to separate the book from the writer, and a lot more. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33097957
info_outline
Episode 604 - Benjamin Dreyer
09/10/2024
Episode 604 - Benjamin Dreyer
joins the show to talk about the joy of good writing. We talk about his career as managing editor and copy chief of the Random House, his post-retirement perspective on that role, the authors he enjoyed working with, the success of his first book, (Random House), and his plans for the followup, DREYER'S FICTION (!). We get into why he's leaving NYC and looking forward to Santa Monica (and talk about the books that he can leave behind and those he can't), the way that writing a has made him a better writer, how the copy-editor's role is to enhance the writer's work, not to reshape it, whether his online persona changed after retirement, his love of digressive footnotes, how he feels about "weird" catching on this election season, whether the success of Dreyer's English surprised him, the moment he KNEW it was a hit, and what his authors had to teach him about the process of writing his first book. We also discuss the tension within the pronoun section of DE (c.2019), how he hopes to revise it, and why the mind needs to catch up with the soul sometimes. All this & a lot more, so go listen! Follow Benjamin on , , and , and subscribe to his • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/33000397
info_outline
Episode 603 - Nicholas Delbanco
09/03/2024
Episode 603 - Nicholas Delbanco
returns to the show to celebrate his 32nd book and his first true foray into memoir (or ME-moir), (Mandel Vilar Press)! We talk about how the rediscovery of the 40-page history of art he wrote at eleven years old (!) sparked this project, how he built the book as a mosaic, why he centers it around the homes, totem-objects, and writers in his life, and why he wanted his first memoir to be an act of gratitude rather than a list of complaints. We get into decision to part with some of his library and the books he regrets selling, his long-term interest in literary and artistic reputation and how its study helped him navigate the transition from "promising" to "distinguished" writer, his writing practice and process, and what he learned when recently revising a series of his early novels. We also discuss his embrace of compression and restraint in his later writing, why he'll write a fictional character's poetry but doesn't write poetry on his own, what his family's history and business taught him about the balance between the dutifulness and risks of art, his surprise at how quickly John Updike's reputation waned, what he's learned in his 80s, and a a lot more. More info • Catch up on my and conversations with Nicholas • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32876850
info_outline
Episode 602 - Dash Shaw
08/27/2024
Episode 602 - Dash Shaw
Cartoonist and animator returns to the show to celebrate his phenomenal new graphic novel, (New York Review Comics). We talk about the decompressed mode he brought to this book, the turning points we encounter in the most mundane situations, his focus on the microscopic moments of doubt we have between two very similar things, and how he settled on the idea of structuring the book around nested stories (& figured out to thread them together by the end). We get into the 2x2 panel regularity of every page of Blurry and how that allowed him to build the book, how the experience of making a changed his comics-making process, and how Blurry felt like he'd been playing a video game for a long time and then discovered a bonus level. We also discuss his film-making process and how that contrasts with the isolation of making comics, the ways his work tends toward collage, why naturalistic dialogue is another form of stylization, what it was like to grow up in a comics-friendly house, and a lot more. Follow Dash on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32768112
info_outline
Episode 601 - Jess Ruliffson
08/20/2024
Episode 601 - Jess Ruliffson
Comics journalist joins the show to talk about the origins of (Fantagraphics), her collection of stories from veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but we wind up talking about guys' butts, among other things. We get into her focus on male vulnerability, the photos that led her to make Invisible Wounds, the differences between soldiers who enlisted pre-/post-9/11, what it's like to come home from war with no idea what to do next, and the new comics she's making with her husband, Ernesto Barbieri, . We talk about her upbringing in Mississippi, what she's learned about interviewing and how stories sometimes take shape in retrospect, whether it's "permissible" to tell stories about people in a different demographic, the common thread of moral injury in her work, how she met her husband through an MFA open house, and how she found her way into comics and journalism. We also discuss her frustration at not drawing the butts she wants to draw, her experiences teaching comics and learning to give her students permission, what she's learned from making the with , why her therapist insisted she never make a memoir, and more! Follow Jess on podcast • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32651657
info_outline
Episode 600 - Joe Coleman
08/13/2024
Episode 600 - Joe Coleman
For my 600th episode, the great artist joins the show to celebrate his phenomenal new career-spanning retrospective book, (Fantagraphics). We talk about art, mortality, mythography, history, the corruption of the flesh, the nature of evil, his & the power of relics, 's send-off for his dead parents, playing Whac-A-Mole with , getting arrested for being an Infernal Machine, taxi-driving in NYC's Travis Bickle era, the inspiration of the Hubble telescope, the pagan Celtic roots in Irish Catholicism, what it's like to work on one square-inch of a painting for 8 hours at a time, our respective appearances on the , playing in the with & Karen O'Connell, and how he found his love and muse in . (Also, this one's got an interminable intro, so jump to the 15:45 mark to start the conversation.) Follow Joe on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32566197
info_outline
Episode 599 - Mirana Comstock
08/06/2024
Episode 599 - Mirana Comstock
This one's all about legacies: familial, literary, cultural & institutional! joins the show to celebrate the publication of (Excelsior Editions/SUNY Press), by her grandfather, the late literary lion . We get into how Mirana discovered this manuscript, what it meant to edit it & write the intro, what it was like to help bring the Algonquin scene & Konrad's writing to life for a new generation of readers, and the experience of growing up in a multigenerational household of compulsive artists & writers. We talk about why her grandfather's diminished, the nature of charisma and The Aura, the scandal of Chaplin stealing Konrad's script for , how the Algonquin habitués were the influencers of their time (only with something to say), how the Algonquin scene was like Vienna café society transposed into New York & American capitalism, Mirana's discoveries as she researched the figures in the book, and why there'll never be another book like this one. We also discuss the 's acquisition of Konrad's papers, her New York and how it's changed, her idea for transforming her family's writing into a meta-stage production, and a lot more. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32465467
info_outline
Episode 598 - Anita Kunz
07/30/2024
Episode 598 - Anita Kunz
Artist & illustrator returns to the show to talk about how art saved her life, as we catch up on her fantastic books, and (Pantheon and Fantagraphics, respectively). We talk about Anita's passion for figure drawing, how disconcerted some male viewers were by Striking A Pose, the difference between drawing women and men and all the tension and dynamics that go into making art from each gender, and why Winston Churchill's granddaughter was none-too-pleased by his appearance in her book. We get into how her 2020 lockdown project of painting one portrait of a badass woman every day evolved into her series, how it feels to be closing in on 500 portraits (!), and how she keeps finding more badass women to paint. We also discuss her transition from an acclaimed illustration career into big art projects, how helped her find (and how she had to get over her fear of gallery owners), the book of parables & fables she's making, how it feels to see her Original Sisters in museum exhibitions (and how much she's looking forward to their big show at the ), the burden of having to be A Nice Girl In A Small Town growing up, how she makes great art while being racked with self-doubt, the importance of mentors and art-friends, and a lot more. Follow Anita on , check out the site, and listen to • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32352427
info_outline
Episode 597 - Shalom Auslander
07/23/2024
Episode 597 - Shalom Auslander
With his amazing new book, (Riverside Books), explores how the judgmental disgust of FEH infected his life, and what it meant to get sick & tired of the disgust and outrage FEH-stival and look for a way out. We talk about the sense of shame, disgust and self-loathing at the core of our common story, why every bookstore should be called, 'You Suck', his friendship with the late and how they bonded over FEH, and how hard he's worked to find the un-FEH for his kids. We get into how story is our operating system (but what happens when there are bugs in the OS?), how the FEH machine came after his psychiatrist, the notion of , and his video series where he reads the Bible and asks, 'What if God is the antagonist?'. We also discuss his ultra-orthodox upbringing, how "Jewish heritage" has been subsumed by Holocaust memorials, his antipathy toward the pop-culture Anne Frank and how he rewrote her for , his time in the advertising industry and how it led to his TV show , his bleak Peanuts parody strip that got Jeannie Schulz's approval, the neurological condition where blind people believe they can see and how it parallels our existential state of FEH, the realization that cynicism doesn't mean you're smart (just lazy), and a lot more. Subscribe to Shalom's • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32266747
info_outline
Episode 596 - Maurice Vellekoop
07/16/2024
Episode 596 - Maurice Vellekoop
Artist & illustrator joins the show to celebrate his amazing new graphic memoir, (Pantheon). We talk about the midlife crisis that led to the memoir (and the subsequent crisis that almost made him give up), the joy and pain of putting his life on the page, his process of self-discovery as a gay man and an artist, and why his mother hoped she wouldn't live to see the book come out. We get into his (editor) partner's sigh that told him the first draft needed a drastic rewrite, the role sublimation has played in his art & sex life, his accidental technique for drawing himself crying, how the AIDS crisis did & didn't affect his life, his decision on how to depict sex in the book, the incredible color palettes he uses throughout the work, and the realization that he had a 500-page book on his hands. We also discuss life on Toronto Island and what it was like during lockdown, why he'd like to try stage design (just once), his Pride tradition, why publishing was a great stepping-stone for making a memoir, and more! Follow Maurice on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32171022
info_outline
Episode 595 - Laura Beers
07/10/2024
Episode 595 - Laura Beers
Historian, professor & author joins the show as we celebrate her important new book, (Norton). We talk about her course on Orwell and the making of the early twentieth century, how the post-Jan. 6 misuse of "Orwellian" inspired her to write this book, and her own path into Orwell. We get into Orwell's balancing act between freedom of speech and obligation to truth, what he meant when he wrote that he was "for democratic socialism, as I understand it," his family's history with Empire and his hatred of inequality, why my favorite of his essays, , may be the most misunderstood Orwell piece of all (!), and why might have the most influence on her. We also discuss the ways to reckon with Orwell's prejudices and especially his misogyny, why students are still coming into college with under their belt, Laura's trip to Barcelona to follow Orwell's steps in the Spanish Civil War, how her chapter on gender involved some deep, critical reading and writing, how we should look at the "blacklist" Orwell provided to the Information Research Dept., how Laura's next book on the politics of infertility sort of dovetails with Orwell's Ghosts, and more! Follow Laura on and and listen to her on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/32087502
info_outline
Episode 594 - Robert Pranzatelli
07/02/2024
Episode 594 - Robert Pranzatelli
Author, publicist and partially involved narrator joins the show to celebrate his amazing new book, (University Press of Florida). We talk about the origins of the legendary dance company, his transformational first experience seeing them in 1997, the workshops he took with them and the friendships they engendered, and the "itchy fingers" moment when he realized he had to write their history. We also get into Pilobolus' unique melding of improvisation and dance technique, the joyful challenge of describing their dance pieces on the page, the importance of capturing the time capsule of Pilobolus' '70s roots (and covering All The Affairs, along with the friendships and fallings-out), how Pilobolus was taken seriously by dance critics long after audiences flocked to them, the company's through-line in its 50+-year history and how they managed to continue the tradition of something that was based on overthrowing tradition. Plus we discuss Robert's history as a writer, how Metal Hurlant & blew his mind as a teen, how he became a book publicist at , his narrow-focus mode of reading, his greatest eBay score, why he got choked up while reading a text he sent Pilobolus' artistic directors after a performance, and more. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31986667
info_outline
Episode 593 - Bob Fingerman
06/25/2024
Episode 593 - Bob Fingerman
With (Zoop), cartoonist-humorist-author has created a career retrospective to celebrate (lament?) his 40th year in comics. We got together in LA to talk about that milestone, what it meant to him to bring together decades of his comics, art, and illustration into a single volume, the challenges of writing the narrative to his work-life, and what he learned from looking at the arc of his career. We get into the 'maybe someday' vibe of the big projects he wants to tackle, the process of getting over his younger shame at making comics for, um, 'lower-prestige' (but well-paying) magazines, the distance he needed on his best-known comic, , the artist's retrospective he really wants to see, why he enjoys creator-owned work instead of someone else's IP, and his true artistic goal. We also discuss the life-changing stuff — like addressing the tension between narcissism and imposter syndrome, the nature of change, the toxicity of NYC, and the need to leave a better memory — while we talk about life in LA, the writers who blew him away and how he can't begin to emulate them, the way his characters changed from punching bags to people, the joy of hummingbirds and small dogs, and a lot more. Follow Bob on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31882912
info_outline
Episode 592 - Swan Huntley
06/20/2024
Episode 592 - Swan Huntley
Author & illustrator joins the show to celebrate her two new books, (Zibby Books), and (Tarcherperigee). We talk about how ghostwriting a memoir for a Real Housewife of New York led her to write I Want You More, a thriller novel about fame, identity, and murder, why she uses the first person in fiction and loves the challenge of lying to the reader, how we're seen by others and how we want to be seen, and the fun of writing thrillers and melding character with a big plot. We also talk about how You're Grounded took shape as a melding of words and drawings, how she settled on "anti-self-help", how her various addictions shaped her identity and what it meant to be herself as she overcame (some of) them, how taking up drawing in a writing lull helped bring out different voices, and the need to calm the f*ck down. We also discuss the creation of identity vs. the discovery of identity, why she biked the El Camino pilgrimage solo, the memoir she's working on, the nature of celebrity & our reactions around famous people (& her upcoming essay, "My Best Friend Is Famous"), how she found her place in Los Angeles, and more. Follow Swan on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31823907
info_outline
Episode 591 - Stan Mack
06/11/2024
Episode 591 - Stan Mack
Legendary cartoonist & artist pioneered documentary comics and bought New York's multitudes to life with Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies (RLF) in the Village Voice, and now he joins the show to celebrate the publication of (Fantagraphics)! We talk about winnowing down 1,000+ RLF strips to 275 for this book, the comic's secret origin and how we share some conceptual DNA, what he learned about cartooning and storytelling, the creeping realization that people were actually reading RLF, and how he and the comic grew over 20+ years. We get into whether Real Life Funnies and its snippets of street dialogue could work today when everybody just stares at their phones, how his pre-Voice stint as art director at the New York Herald Tribune made an editor out of him, the moment he realized he was a New Yorker, how he became an activist and used RLF to highlight the squatters' rights movement, the AIDS crisis, and more in NYC, how important the Village Voice was to the city and to America in the '70s and '80s and why we need to bring it out of the pre-digital memory hole (a la & his new documentary, ), Stan's failure as a backup dancer for Lionel Richie, and a lot more. Follow Stan on , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31698427
info_outline
Episode 590 - Jim Moske
05/21/2024
Episode 590 - Jim Moske
With his amazing new book, (Blast Books), archivist explores art, mortality, media, fame and our secret lives. We talk about his chance discovery in the Met Museum's archives of , his attraction to the obits' tabloid poetry, and how he fell down the rabbit-hole of figuring out the scandalous, redemptive life of their compiler, Arthur D'Hervilly. We get into what these obits — and D'Hervilly's life — can teach us about art and artistic reputation, the challenges of working with 100+-year-old newsprint, the aesthetic pleasure of historical records, and why Jim considered doing this project as a 'zine (just like !). We also discuss how he got started as an archivist, his favorite phases of the Met's history, how artists have responded to his book, his archive of illegible historical documents (!), the impact of digitization and electronics on the archivist field, what we lose when materiality goes away, the oblique influence of Bolaño's on Deaths of Artists, and how D'Hervilly's art-obit collection became a chronicle of the democratization of art. Follow Jim on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31407297
info_outline
Episode 589 - Adam Moss
05/14/2024
Episode 589 - Adam Moss
With his amazing new book, (Penguin Press), hall-of-fame magazine editor explores the artistic process by interviewing more than 40 creators about the evolution of a piece of their art. We talk about the archeology of early drafts and sketches, why he took up painting and how its vexations drove him into making this book, what it's like to tour artists' heads, the creative benefits of "the bounce," the differences between collaborative and solo art-making, and the dizzying iterations of a single artwork by . We get into where his 40-year magazine editing career began (and where it ended), the process of figuring out how to write and edit his own prose for this project, the incredible design project of bringing The Work Of Art to life as a museum of creativity (& its early life as a 'zine), what happened when he pitched Warren Beatty on this project, and his ongoing attraction to the artifacts of artists in the midst of artworks. We also discuss why I may be the ideal reader for this book, how the introspection of COVID & lockdown influenced The Work Of Art and its subjects, what he learned about interviewing (& which subject intimidated him the most), how he finally learned to stop waiting for a catharsis and learned to take joy in the making of art rather than the finished artwork, and plenty more. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31293232
info_outline
Episode 588 - Randy Fertel
05/06/2024
Episode 588 - Randy Fertel
With (Spring Publications), author, professor & philanthropist explores the role of improvisation & spontaneity in the arts, sciences & culture. We talk about what drew him to the conflict between reason and intuition, the importance of "Yes, And" in more than just a comedic context, the neuroscience of Hot and Cold Cognition, and the moment in graduate school that started him down this path 50 years ago. We get into what improvisation really is, how it underlies creativity and innovation, how Trump embodies its dark side, and how his upbringing in New Orleans may have contributed to his improv-epiphany. We also discuss how canonical authors & works began as outsiders, why the essence of improv is disruption, the importance of ego death and unmediated experience (and why he futilely took heroic amounts of hallucinogens to prepare for a conference panel), the relationship of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to his archetypes, his love for Jon Batiste's 2023 Jazz Fest set, his next project exploring the emergence of global pop culture, and a lot more. Follow Randy on , and • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31147033
info_outline
Episode 587 - DW Young
04/30/2024
Episode 587 - DW Young
For more than 40 years, the breathtaking pictures of photographer have chronicled New York City and America (and a couple of war zones), and now the amazing new documentary (Greenwich Entertainment) by director has launched a rediscovery of James Hamilton's work, life & times. D.W. rejoins the show to talk about how James' career at the NY Herald, Village Voice, and NY Observer opened the door to a a bigger story about NYC, arts/culture and media, how NYC has changed and how the culture adapts, and how young viewers react upon learning about the city's vibrant newspaper & alt-weekly scene that preceded the internet. We get into the difference between empathy & formality in photography, how after D.W.'s previous movie () he really didn't want to make another NYC film but wound up making the MOST, James' shift from film to digital (and why some of UNCROPPED is shot on film), why sit-down interviews in documentaries get a bad rap but why they can be so valuable, and how Wes Anderson ended up being interviewed in the movie in a largely empty room. Plus we discuss D.W.'s first post-lockdown movie-theater viewings, the relief of making a short narrative film () in the midst of making Uncropped, what he learned from making The Booksellers (and what he had to unlearn), why it's a travesty that the Village Voice archives aren't digitized, and a lot more. Follow UNCROPPED on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/31055823
info_outline
Episode 586 - Jen Silverman
04/23/2024
Episode 586 - Jen Silverman
Author-playwright-screenwriter-poet returns to the show to celebrate their amazing new novel, (Random House). We get into how Jen accidentally stumbled into the 2018 Gilets Jaunes protests in Paris and triggered this new book, the ways we're shaped by our parents' failures and secrets, the many routes of radicalization, and the theatricality of protests, how they draw people in (with a boost from ), and how they contrast with theater itself. We also talk about the role of art in understanding the times, how Jen's stories start with character, their work on and how TV writing differs from other storytelling modes, what it means to protest alongside someone whose politics you disagree with, and what the pandemic era has taught them about community. Plus we discuss the nirvana of , learning to use research without being beholden to it, ways to be an effective, engaged human (not just engaged/enraged), the contrast between book and theater critics, the existential question of the past few years, and, oh yeah, whether or not people can change. Follow Jen on • More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/30953978
info_outline
Episode 585 - Leonard Barkan
04/15/2024
Episode 585 - Leonard Barkan
With (Fordham), professor blends memoir and deep reading of Shakespeare's greatest plays to explore his lifelong relationship with literature and the way(s) we use art to construct our identities. We get into what it means to read, hear, perform, direct, teach Shakespeare, why it took him a lifetime to get to this book, how he contrasts himself with a radically naive reader (and why it's important to try to capture our naïveté), the gayness of Shakespeare's two Antonios, the many stories he couldn't tell until his folks were gone, and the role Shakespeare played in Leonard's gay coming of age. We also talk about Narcissism vs. Wissenschaft, his next book about the WWII loss of 434 paintings by the Great Masters (!), Cervantes' role as Shakespeare's literary peer, the on-stage therapy session he held at his career-celebration, and his stint as a theater director and what it taught him about teaching. Plus we discuss the strangeness of King Lear's opening scene, the eerie humor of Hamlet, the fraught subject of having kids, the glory & limitations of mimesis, how it felt to see his book on a bookshelf in , the lifelong struggle of living up to his promise, and a lot more. More info • Support The Virtual Memories Show via or and via
/episode/index/show/virtualmemories/id/30831718